ISTANBUL (Dispatches) – Turkish authorities ordered the detention of seven officials from opposition-run municipalities in Istanbul on Wednesday, broadcaster NTV reported.
The detentions followed a court ruling on Tuesday that annulled the legality of the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul provincial congress held in October 2023, citing irregularities in the election of delegates. 
The court found evidence of “willful misconduct and actions of a criminal nature,” including allegations that votes were influenced through money, gifts such as phones and tablets, job promises, and other material benefits.
The ruling also ended the mandate of CHP’s Istanbul provincial chairman Ozgur Ozel, replacing him with Gursel Tekin, a former senior party official and ally of former party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Tekin accepted the court-appointed post and pledged to restore the party’s democratic functioning.
On Wednesday, Turkish police detained five employees from the Besiktas municipality and two from Avcilar, both run by CHP mayors, according to NTV. 
The arrests come amid a wider investigation into alleged corruption targeting CHP-run municipalities. To date, 15 CHP mayors have been jailed, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, who is also the CHP’s presidential candidate.
The CHP has denied all accusations, condemning the court ruling and the arrests as politically motivated. Ozel called Tuesday’s ruling “completely illegal” and vowed the party would resist attempts to undermine it. He is scheduled to address a party rally in Istanbul’s Zeytinburnu district on Wednesday evening.
The court’s decision on the Istanbul congress is expected to influence a separate case in Ankara, where a court is set to rule on Sept. 15 on alleged procedural irregularities in the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress held earlier this year. That case could lead to the dismissal of Ozel’s administration and the reinstatement of Kilicdaroglu as interim party leader.
Since March, hundreds of CHP officials, including mayors and municipal administrators, have been arrested on charges of terrorism and corruption, allegations the opposition rejects. Ozel’s administration, supported by Imamoglu, secured a landslide victory in the 2023 local elections, winning control of major cities across Turkey.